


Herding Cats

by a_very_smol_frog



Series: The Crow's Nest [9]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Family Fluff, Fluff, Kid Fic, M/M, Mornings, SO MUCH FLUFF, Slice of Life, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, did i mention fluff????
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-21
Updated: 2020-09-21
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:46:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,461
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26571649
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/a_very_smol_frog/pseuds/a_very_smol_frog
Summary: Mornings are Kuroo's favorite time of day.~This fic is a part of the Crow's Nest AU. It can be read as a stand alone fic~
Relationships: Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou
Series: The Crow's Nest [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1711909
Comments: 20
Kudos: 188





	Herding Cats

**Author's Note:**

> You all wanted more KuroKen family fluff so I am finally delivering! I hope it is everything you wanted.
> 
> For those of you who are new to the series but just want to read some adorable family KuroKen I will explain a few things. Kuroo and Kenma have 2 daughters together Ran and Himari. Ran is Kuroo's biological daughter and Himari is Kenma's. Kuroo is a cop and Kenma is a professional streamer/Youtuber.
> 
> ~Side note~
> 
> Are y'all tired of me posting so much in this AU? I noticed barely anyone read the last installment I wrote so I was just wondering if you guys were tired of this universe and if I should back off for awhile. I have the writing prompt post so if there is something else you'd like to see please go over there and tell me!
> 
> I have a lot of new stuff on the way but I can't tell you all about it right now. I promise I will be writing new things so if you're super tired of this universe you'll get a break soon.

The light beeping of his alarm pulled Kuroo out of his slumber. Blindly he reached out and slapped his palm against the bedside table until his fingers clasped against his phone, and with a few clumsy clicks the room went silent. He stayed in bed for a moment longer, letting the world come into focus in phases. 

Kenma was asleep next to him, curled in on himself with his hands tucked underneath his chin. It had been a long time since the smaller man had dyed his hair, and the strands that lay splayed out across the pillow were almost entirely black with just the tips bleached blonde. The last time he had gone to the salon to get it done he had gone to pick Himari up from daycare right after and the small girl wouldn’t stop sobbing, terrified because her father had changed so drastically since he had dropped her off that morning. 

A soft smile spread across Kuroo’s face as he reached over and ran his fingers through the dark strands. After a few moments Kenma stirred, head rolling over to the side to look at Kuroo through squinted eyes. 

“S’time is’t?” He slurred. Kuroo sat up and reluctantly removed himself from under the warm blankets. 

“Too early. Go back to sleep.” His husband raised no protests and promptly rolled back over. 

Kuroo padded into the bathroom and started his daily routine. Before becoming a police officer and a father he had never cared for waking up early, but now the hour he got to himself in the mornings had become a sacred time. Between having two small children constantly vying for his attention at home and dealing with his partner Terushima at work, the moments he could spend under the hot water in the shower in complete silence were heaven. 

An hour later he was dressed and ready to tackle the day. He couldn’t help but smile as he stepped out of the bathroom; the next part of his routine was probably his favorite part of the entire day. 

First, he went back over to the bed and stood in front of Kenma’s sleeping form. He crouched down and gently brushed a finger over Kenma’s cheek. 

“Kitten, it's time to wake up.” Even after going through two infant phases, Kenma had still not grown used to waking up early every morning. Waking him up was a delicate act that Kuroo had perfected over years of sharing a bed. 

Kenma’s brow furrowed and his eyes opened once again. He shot Kuroo a weak glare and let out a deep sigh. Kuroo chuckled softly and leaned forward to press a kiss against his lover’s forehead. 

“I'm going to go wake up the girls.” After leaving their room, Kuroo made his way across the hall to Ran’s room. The walls were a soft yellow and decorated with no less than a hundred posters of the girl’s favorite cartoons and animes. In the low light Kuroo could just barely make out a small lump under the blankets. 

Even though Ran was his child biologically, Kuroo saw Kenma in all of their daughter’s mannerisms and actions. Even asleep she copied her dad by curling into a tight ball and burrowing under the sheets. 

As gingerly as possible Kuroo perched himself on the edge of the bed and began to pry away the layers of blankets until he found a tiny foot. He reached out and wiggled a finger against the arch which caused the appendage to rip itself back into the safety of the nest its owner had created. 

Sometimes Kuroo thought his heart would explode with the love he felt for his daughters.

“Ladybug it's time to wake up.” The mass moved, the blankets curling even tighter around the form shrouded underneath them. Undeterred, Kuroo peeled back the blankets once again and this time found a wild mess of slick black hair. This was how he knew Ran was his child, the Kuroo wild hair genes were a dominant trait and could not be denied. 

“Noooooo Daddy.” The whine was pathetic and Kuroo felt it tug at his heart strings, but alas time still ticked forward and in its relentless march it waited for none. 

“Sorry ladybug but you’ve got to get up and get ready for school. I’m going to go get your sister, but can you get up and start getting ready for me?” The nest of hair shifted to reveal a tiny nose and then a hand emerged from the blanket to unearth a blinking set of amber eyes. 

Kuroo had made this, or at least taken some part in the process. These ten fingers and ten toes were half him and for the past decade he had had the privilege of guiding her through the shit show called life. Being a father was something he hadn’t asked for but was the most precious gift ever given to him. 

“Come on. If you get up now I’ll sneak a package of cookies in your lunch when Papa isn’t looking.” The girl’s eyes widened and she rapidly blinked the haze of sleep away as she sat up. 

“Can I have the chocolate ones?” Kuroo reached out and smoothed back the mess of black hair only for it to pop back forward completely unchanged. 

“Sure ladybug, but you’ve got to get up and get ready first.” Now that she was sitting up in bed he felt confident enough to leave her and not have her crawl back under the blankets the second his back was turned, and so he left her bed and made his way out of the room and into the one adjacent to it. 

Inside the soft grey room Kuroo’s eyes fell on the crib tucked away in the corner. The little girl inside it was already standing, tiny hands gripping the white wood. The second she saw Kuroo her face lit up and she began to bounce happily on her mattress. 

Kuroo couldn’t stop himself from rushing into the room and scooping Himari into his arms. The little girl’s gleeful laughter filled the room and suddenly everything felt brighter, her joy giving even the sun itself the energy it needed to start its day.

“Good morning my sweet little bee.” Kuroo cooed, pressing a big fat kiss to his daughter’s chubby cheek. His affection caused her to giggle happily and she leaned forward to press her own kiss against her father’s chin. 

When he was younger Kuroo never would have thought that sloppy toddler kisses would be his favorite way to start the day, but at 30 years old he couldn’t stop himself from humming happily as he got his daughter dressed. It was difficult to start the day off on the wrong foot when you were busy putting the human embodiment of the sun in socks that looked like cat feet and a little romper with a Pikachu tail and ears on the hood.

The sunshine duo made their way into the kitchen where Kenma was already shuffling around placing food in the cat’s bowls. The smell of coffee drifted through the air and the machine beeped just as Kuroo sat Himari down in her highchair. 

“Pap! Pap!” Chubby hands reached out towards Kenma. A tired smile spread across the man’s face as he indulged his daughter and crossed the tile floor so that he could run a hand through her short hair and let her cling to his arm. 

“Good morning bee.” His voice was soft and full of an emotion reserved for the tender moments their little family shared. To most Kenma came off as standoffish and kind of rude, and to be fair, he was both of those things, but they would never get to see the adoration in his eyes as he said hello to his children in the mornings, or tucked them into bed at night. 

It was moments like these that Kuroo treasured the most. 

Now with the entire family awake and moving the morning began to pick up pace. Kuroo busied himself with making breakfast for them all while Kenma packed lunches. Ran sat at the table and Kuroo quizzed her on the words that would be on her English spelling test that afternoon. The word excellent was giving her a lot of trouble but after the 5th attempt she got it right and she managed to repeat the success another two times. 

When Kenma’s back was turned Kuroo managed to sneak a package of chocolate chip cookies into the Pusheen lunch box sitting on the counter. Ran beamed up at him but then busied herself with drinking her orange juice when Kenma gave her a questioning look. Kuroo gave an innocent shrug when amber eyes landed on him and his partner gave a sigh that said he didn’t believe Kuroo’s virtuous act but he was too tired to care. 

After everyone was fed it was time to get their show on the road. Kuroo played a dangerous game of trying to balance three bags on his shoulders and a toddler on his hip, but practice makes perfect and with a little help from Kenma he was loaded with their precious cargo. 

Ran sat on the genkan step and tied her shoes while Kenma kneeled behind her and expertly pulled her hair into a neat braid down her back. Kuroo could barely manage a ponytail, but Kenma’s nimble fingers were good for more than just clicking on a keyboard, and the man had mastered a variety of complex braids as their daughters grew. 

“Ran do you have everything you need? Homework? Lunch? It's supposed to be chilly today, maybe you should grab your cardigan.”

“I already put it in her bag Kuro.”

“What about Himari? Extra clothes? Diapers? What about Whiskers?” If they left the house without the small grey stuffed cat their daughter would turn from sunshine incarnate to a code red level 10 disaster. 

“It is all in her bag. I also put your laptop charger in yours. You left it by the couch again.” Kuroo gave him a sheepish grin. 

“Thanks babe. You really saved my a-...butt” Kenma merely hummed in response, placing a final bobby pin into Ran’s braid before deciding that it was finished and pushing himself up off the floor. 

“You’re going to be late.” With Kuroo standing in the genkan Kenma was now the perfect height to look him directly in the eye. Even fatigued with his hair in a messy bun and one of Kuroo’s shirts hanging loosely off of him, Kenma was the most beautiful person Kuroo had ever seen. There was no one else in the world he would rather build a family with, no one else he would rather come home to, no one else he would rather be hopelessly in love with. 

Kenma gave each of the Kuroos a kiss goodbye before shepherding them all out the door and promptly closing it behind them. Now that he was once again blessed with peaceful silence the faux blonde would crawl right back into bed and stay sheltered there until well into the afternoon. 

Kuroo loaded the girls into the car. They listened to catchy pop music on the radio, Ran laughing when his voice cracked on the high notes and Himari clapping along off beat, just happy to be with two of her favorite people. 

After they dropped Ran off at school Kuroo carried out a series of serious conversations with Himari, asking the little girl her opinions on topics such as the increase in local crime, global warming, and how tragic it was that Kenma would not allow Kuroo to play games with him while he streamed. 

“He says I would embarrass him bee! Why is Papa so mean to Dad?” 

“Pap! Pap! Da!” Kuroo nodded his head in agreement with her sage advice. 

“You’re right, I would spend the entire time trying to make everything a dirty joke.” 

Conveniently, Himari’s daycare was right down the street from the police station, so on nice days like today he would park his car at work and walk her to the building. All of his coworkers who stumbled upon them stopped and cooed at the little girl. Everyone Himari came into contact with left with a bright smile and an extra bounce in their step; it was impossible to leave the little girl’s presence with a frown. 

The woman in charge of the daycare was tall with long pale blonde hair and bright green eyes. Sadly, being a gay couple they faced a lot of discrimination and had had multiple daycares turn them away, but Alisa didn’t bat an eye when both Kuroo and Kenma introduced themselves as Himari’s father. Bee adored her younger brother, the lanky teenager worked during breaks and when he put the little girl on her shoulders she squealed in delight. 

When Kuroo left the daycare after dropping his daughter off he always felt...heavy. Even though he just shed the weight of a toddler his steps were sluggish, and what felt like a short distance walking there now dragged on. 

He would have to wait eight hours until he could clock out and make his way back down the sidewalk. Eight hours until the world righted itself again and everything clicked back into place. Whenever he left the three of them he was also leaving behind a small part of himself, and it wasn’t until he was home, cuddled up with them all on the couch, that he felt whole again. 

Kuroo sat down at his desk and opened up his bag. Tucked into the side was his laptop charger, neatly wrapped up as opposed to the tangled mess from when he haphazardly shoved it in normally. Next to it was a small bag of the same cookies he had snuck into Ran’s lunch box. 

He chuckled, nothing ever got past Kenma’s cat-like gaze. 

Kuroo looked up at the picture frames that littered his desk, snippets of a never ending reel of happy memories secured behind the glass. 

Some days were messy. Some mornings started with tears and yelling and some nights ended with slammed doors and the silent treatment. Kuroo wasn’t stupid enough to believe that everyday would be perfect, but he knew with the three of them in his life even the worst days were a million times better than an amazing one without them by his side. 

Eight hours. Eight hours until he could leave this building and make his way back to his people. No matter what happened or where they were in the world, as long as at the end of the day he could go back to them he would always be able to go home.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed this little slice of life fluff monster. Thank you for reading!


End file.
